Apples, Stripes and Strawberries
by Hanyou-Kyo
Summary: Let me introduce myself. I'm stripes, or at least that's what everyone calls me. My best mate is Rae and we're currently in Japan. Crazy right? Want to know what's even crazier? We get transported into Death Note. And so the mayhem ensues.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. So I've been wanting to do his for a while, and decided to write it now. **

**I'm currently writing another fic alongside this one so updating might be a bit sporadic, since the other one *cough* 'The Cursed Tongue* (lit o bit of advertising there ^_^) takes priority. **

**This fic is mainly for my own entertainment. So enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

><p>I stared, open mouthed and awed.<p>

I was _actually_ here, I was _actually _in Japan!

A grin spread across my face, growing and growing until my lips began to ache. I had the sudden urge to jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs;

"HELLLLO JAPAN, THIS IS RUE DANIELS REPORTING FOR DUTY!"

But I didn't. I wanted to get through my first day with _some _dignity intact after all. I knew at some point I would screw up and embarrass myself, but if I could just make it through the _first day, _I would be happy. Then I could look myself in the mirror back home and be proud, because for me, that is an _epic_ achievement.

I turned to Rae, my best mate. She's beautiful, and I'm not being biased when I say that. Okay, maybe I am _a little._ But Rae really iscute. She has long, wavy hair the colour of honey, and dark, coco brown eyes. She has tanned skin and a trim figure, but isn't a twig either. She has curves, in _all _the right places. Rae is a tribute to long summer days, sipping lemonade while watching bumblebees bob about in the warm breeze. In my mind at least, but that's probably just my inner poet taking over again.

"You know where we bloody are, right?" Rae whispered.

I nodded vigorously, not bothering to hide my excitement. I must look like a hyper active puppy. Hmmmm, maybe a Scotty dog.

"Of course I do, we're in Tokyo. _TO-K-YO!" _I exclaimed.

Rae stepped forward, grasping my arm and looking around as though she couldn't quite believe what her eyes were seeing.

"More than that, we've in the _Kanto _region of Tokyo. Know what that means? It means Death Note Stripes!"

Ah, now I should probably explain two things here. The first being mine and Rae's joint obsession with anime and manga, we're otakus and proud! Now Rae is currently obsessed with 'Death Note' while I'm obsessed with 'Bleach' (what right minded otaku isn't?) and so you can probably understand her excitement.

Now the second thing I should explain is Rae's use of my nickname.

Stripes.

And why, you might ask have I been labelled with this name? Simple, I have a fetish for stripy tights and socks. They're the only thing I'll wear, even to bed. I know, it sounds _a bit _insane, (my mum wants me to see a psychologist about it) but I can't help it. At the tender age of six I was hooked on them, and have been ever since. Blame my grandma, she gave them to me as a birthday present.

I rolled my eyes at Rae, shaking my head. "You're hopeless." I sighed.

Rae narrowed her eyes, poking me in the stomach. "Coming from _you_, have you brought your Ichigo plushie by the way?"

I gripped the straps of my backpack tighter, suddenly aware of its soft, orange haired contents. "… No."

She smirked. "Liar, I saw you pack it back home Stripes, and besides you can't sleep without a stuffed toy, you said so yourself, remember?"

I chuckled, slinking my arm through hers. "Okay, okay you win." I relented.

"Hey! You two, the coach is here!" called Rae's dad, Paul.

I glanced over in his direction. He was stood beside a mountainous pile of luggage, bags upon bags of it. The other members of the badminton team were scattered around the car park, staring at the scenery or chatting to each other.

That's the reason we're here, to compete in a badminton tournament. Paul is the teams' coach, and also the reason Rae and I became friends.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I, a rosy cheeked seven year old, and Rae, a fiery tom boy, both gripping a badminton racket in our stubby fingered hands, glaring at each other through a net.

We bonded straight away.

Trust me, trying to kick your friend's ass using a shuttlecock does wonders for your relationship.

Of course I lost in the end. It was my first time playing and well… I'm a bit of a klutz. I swung my racket to hit the shuttlecock and ended up tangled in the net. Don't ask how, because truthfully I don't have a clue.

I tugged on Rae's sleeve. "Come on, you can admire the scenery later."

She moaned in protest, looking at me with pleading eyes. "Just five more minuets, _please_?"

I gave her a look, and then started walking toward the coach. Japanese characters covered its exterior, reminding me to never loose the life line in my bag. An English to Japanese dictionary.

"Fine, take all the time you want, but I'm leaving. And don't worry, I'll keep fond memories of you alive when some thug kidnaps you." I said.

"_Stripes_! … No fair!"

She caught up with me, frowning. I laughed at her expression, and it wasn't long before she joined me.

Rachel and Rue. Stripes and Rae. The team of two rag tag girls with a tendency to get a little bit competitive. Okay, maybe _very _competitive.

"Do you think we'll win tomorrow?" I asked.

Rae turned to me with a grin. "Hell yeah! Azabu High School here we come!"

* * *

><p>No.<p>

NO, NO, NO, NO!

This could not be happening. This had to be a dream. A-bad-omelette- for-breakfast induced dream! I tore through the contents of my suitcase again, hurling t-shirts and tights onto the floor in a hurricane. I dug and dug, searching desperately. I found nothing.

I collapsed onto the floor in despair, banging my head against the carpet.

"Hey Stripes can I borrow some… whoa, did a storm whirl through here?" Rae asked, appearing from the bathroom.

I peeked at her through my hair, blowing at my dark fringe. "Rae I have a slight… problem."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what kind of problem?"

I sat up, crossing my legs. I fiddled with the edge of my top, refusing to meet Rae's gaze. "I… um…"

Rae moved forward, grinning widely. "Sorry didn't quite catch that, could you repeat it please?" she asked loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth.

I glared at her. "I forgot my UNDERWEAR okay, I bloody forgot it. You Happy now?"

She fell back onto her side, laughing with tears in her eyes. "You" snort. "IDIOT!"

My face burned. I must look like big, red tomato topped with dark hair. "It's not that funny." I mumbled.

I waited for her to calm down, which took an obnoxiously long time to happen. Finally (although she was still chuckling under her breath) Rae looked at me, trying and failing to keep her face straight.

"You can borrow some of mine. Though I don't have pink bunny patterned ones like you do."

I grabbed my pillow from the bed and lobbed it at her, unleashing my inner ninja. That's right, you heard me. I have secret, mad ninja skills, and I totally rock.

Laughing, Rae tossed the pillow to the side. She stood, a good 5 foot, 4 inches over me. She wore a light, flowery skirt with white leggings and pumps. Her tee-shirt was a rosy pink colour, and adorning that was a denim jacket.

That's the thing about Rae; she looks like the typical girly teen, when in actual fact she's athletic and a bit of a tom boy at times. Not to mention she's strong, _really _strong. But it isn't that surprising when you consider the fact that she's been taking judo classes ever since she was five, _and _kicked _every _boy's ass she's ever fought against. Yeah she's strong alright, _scarily_ strong.

"Come on, dad… sorry 'coach' said we could explore for a bit, as long as we don't go too far. So… let's go find what we've forever hunted for back home."

I grinned, also standing. "A real life manga shop?"

She nodded, and I felt my body explode with excitement. The embarrassment of actually forgetting to pack underwear, melted away into the back of my head, replaced with thoughts of shopping in Tokyo. It was bound to be packed full with manga, anime, those cute clothes Japanese girls wear, and… the Lolita fashion! I've always wanted to try one of those dresses on.

I smiled, more to myself than to Rae. "I hope they have tights too."

* * *

><p>"There!" I said, pointing to a small corner shop.<p>

The Japanese characters above the door were bold and bright, almost dancing across the shop entrance. It wasn't the most inviting shop around, but there was something about it that drew me in. Something strange, something… exciting.

The windows were crammed with manga and cosplay items, I even spotted several Bleach posters. It was worth nosing around in for that reason alone.

Rae studied the shop. "It's as good a place to start as any I suppose." She said.

We made our way over to the shop, blending in with the endless stream of people. I feel ten feet tall in this crowd of Japanese citizens. I'm tall for my age at five foot, seven inches back home, so here I'm almost giant like. A tall, clumsy giant, who only wears tights and doesn't have any underwear. Life is good, ain't it?

We entered the shop, with a tinkling bell to welcome us. It sounded cheery, and pleased to have some customers.

I looked around in amazement. The shop was longer than its outward appearance suggested, and more organised than what it's cluttered window suggested. All along the left hand wall were shelves and shelves of manga, gleaming with freshly printed covers in the daylight. The right hand wall was separated into two parts. The first part was where the till was stationed, and the second was a cosy area to read. And finally, the wall at the far end of the shop was dedicated to manga merchandise and cosplay.

Both Rae and I stared open mouthed. It was otaku heaven.

"Rae, have I died and gone to heaven?" I whispered.

She gripped my arm, tight. "If we bloody are dead then I'll be seriously pissed, because this is amazing!"

We looked at each other. And then took off running, wildly going over every nook and cranny we could find. I was quite happy to die right then, I swear. Light Yagami could appear and write my name in the death note, or hallow Ichigo could come in swinging his bankai and I wouldn't care. And from Rae's squeals of delight I doubt she would care either.

And so you could probably imagine it, when I explain how I didn't notice the man creeping up behind me. And you could also imagine my surprise at turning around to find a face bent low to mine.

"Kon'nichiwa."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, jumping back in surprise.

Unfortunately my mad dash backwards ended in disaster. My arms shot out wildly, knocking mangas from their place on the shelves. They fell like dominos, clattering onto the floor one after the other. Shiny covers shone with plastic as they fell from their place. I tripped over my own feet, falling with a thud onto my backside. The man simply looked from me to the disaster I had created.

Did I mention I was a klutz?

"Stripes! What's wrong?"

Rae appeared from the cosplay section, sporting a lovely pair of neko ears. She stopped, took in the situation, and then sighed.

"I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

The man extended a hand toward me. "I did not mean to scare you miss, please accept my apology." He said.

He had an accent but his English was good, very good. I took his hand, flinching as the pain in my butt increased. "It's alright, I overreacted anyway."

I stood, wobbled slightly and then relaxed. Until I got a better look at the mess I had made. I couldn't even _see_ the floor anymore, it was covered by a sea of manga.

"I'm so sorry, I'll clean it up right away!" I exclaimed, falling onto all fours.

I began piling the manga as fast as was humanly possible, my cheeks burning from embarrassment. I heard Rae sigh as she bent down to help me, I flashed her a smile.

"You bloody owe me Stripes." She muttered.

After a moment the man also bent down, smiling to himself. This time I got a better look at him, since thoughts of 'ghosts' and 'evil attackers' weren't racing through my head. He was tall and broad shouldered, and had very large hands for a Japanese person, which led me to believe he had some other blood in him along the lines. He had a messy mop of dark hair, and sharp grey eyes. He looked normal enough.

"So, may I inquire as to what you were searching for?" he asked.

"We were just mooching around really, this is the first shop we've been in since we arrived in Tokyo." I replied.

He nodded sagely, reminding me of one those ancient tortoises in cartoon sketches. "Then I am honoured." He murmured.

He glanced at Rae. "Have you taking a liking to those?" he asked, motioning to her 'headwear' with his chin.

Rae turned an entertaining shade of scarlet and laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Ha ha, sorry, I'll put them back in a second."

The man shook his head. "Feel free to remain wearing them when in my shop, it is when you try to leave with them we come to a problem."

I laughed, _really _laughed. It wasn't polite laughter, the kind were you chuckle because your expected to, it was honest laughter.

"They suit you Rae!" I chuckled.

The man stood, shuffled over to the far wall, and then returned carrying two more pairs.

"Perhaps we should all adorn some." He suggested.

I nodded, pulling mine on behind my ears. He did the same, and I have to say he looked hilarious. He was straight faced and very serious, and yet on top of his head were two cat ears. I looked at Rae, she looked at me. We both collapsed into giggles. He smiled at our reaction.

"I am Kyo Misora, it's a pleasure to meet you." He announced.

Rae shuffled over to me, wrapping her arm around my neck. "I'm Rae, and this is Stripes." She said.

Kyo's eyebrow twitched. "What interesting names." He murmured.

And that was the start of a long, entertaining hour. We talked and talked as we cleared up _my _mess, mostly about manga and anime. In that short period of time he learned of Rae's obsession with Death Note, and my obsession with Bleach. He nodded in approval of our choices. Kyo then went on to recommend every anime and manga he had enjoyed. It was a long list.

Then, after we had cleared up, we retired to the reading area. Rae and I got comfortable on the old, battered couches while Kyo brought out a tea set from behind the till. I was afraid to even touch my teacup, it looked so delicate and… breakable.

"But, was it not a fitting ending when Near defeated Kira?" Kyo asked, sipping is tea.

He had adopted a sitting position akin to L's, just like Rae and I were doing. It seemed appropriate as we were discussing Death Note. Well, I say we, when it's actually more Rae ranting and Kyo answering her. I was too busy focused on _not _dropping my teacup.

"Of course not! Don't get me wrong I like Near's character and all, but come on! L dies, that isn't justice at all!" Rae huffed.

Kyo stared down at his tea, deep in thought. "And what about you, Stripes-san? What do you think?"

I blinked. "Oh, well…" I thought for a moment. "I agree with Rae, I don't think there was any justice in L's death. To be truthful I prefer the live action movies, because at least then L dies _for a reason. _But I also understand where you're coming from Kyo-san, realistically L had to die."

I sipped my tea gingerly. "Still, it would have been interesting to see how the story would have progressed if L survived."

A smile curved Kyo's lips. "I think I agree with you Stripes-san." He murmured.

He shot out of his seat suddenly, disappearing around the till. He bent down, out of my view and began rummaging for something. I looked at Rae, she shrugged. He next appeared with a cardboard box in his hands, with dust smudged around his face.

"I have something you may be interested in." he said, plopping down onto the couch once more.

He opened the box, to reveal a treasure trove of trinkets. All related to Death Note. Rae was off like a bullet, at Kyo's side in an instant. I placed my cup _carefully_ onto the table, and then followed suit.

Kyo dug inside the box, and then pulled out two items. The first item was the classic L necklace. Except this one was a little bit different. The letter L, was silver, real silver, and inexplicably breathe taking. The design was so simple, and yet so beautiful. Every detail was carved to perfection, every angle was sharp and straight, every curve smooth and polished. I think I stopped breathing at one point.

The next item was an apple necklace. Again, real silver. Now this shape was bold and expressive. It was rounded perfectly and flawless. And then, at the centre of the apple, there was just a touch of colour. A touch of red. But it was enough to convey the message. The blood, the passion, the fire the colour resembled. The necklace was scarily beautiful.

"I found these at a convention three years ago, would you care to try them on?" Kyo asked.

I looked up at him, sucking in a breath. "A… are you sure that's okay?" I stammered.

Kyo nodded. "Of course."

Rae was grinning widely. She looked at me and winked. "I'll take the apple, I always loved Ryuk. He made things _so interesting." _She mimicked.

Hesitantly I took the necklace from Kyo's fingers, holding it as though it were china. This was even scarier then the teacup. I moved my pigtails out of the way, and looped the silver chain around my neck. It felt cold against my skin, but not unpleasantly so. It was the kind of cold one welcomed after a long, sweaty day.

Rae did the same. It hung just above her chest, glinting with red light.

"It suits you." I said.

Rae smiled. "So does yours."

I gazed down at the L, unconsciously rubbing my ankles together.

"So… you two have taking a liking to them I presume?" Kyo asked.

He looked different, more animated. It was as though he were waiting for something, like a kid does before Christmas. You know, how they try to act all calm and patient,

when really their going crazy on the inside. Well, that's how Kyo looked. Only a little creepier.

Rae nodded, never taking her eyes off the pendent in her hand. "Oh yeah, I'd bloody make a dash for it if you weren't so nice!" she exclaimed.

"Same here!" I added.

Kyo smiled, hugging his knees a little closer to his chest. "I am glad, you will be wearing them for quite some time."

We both looked up in confusion. "What?" we asked in unison.

Kyo stood, taking several steps back. "I have been meaning to conduct an experiment like this for a while, but seeing as I don't get many customers and have been working on a new manga lately I never got around to it."

He smiled. "Until you two turned up that is, you presented me with the perfect opportunity."

Rae glanced at me, swirling her left finger at her head.

"Er Kyo-kun are you okay, has the heat got to you or something…?" she asked.

Kyo laughed, his shoulders shaking with deep vibrations. "No, I am quite sane thank you. Oh and please, call me Ohba."

I blinked. "… Ohba?"

He nodded. "Tsugumi Ohba."

Rae's eyes bulged so much I thought they would pop from her head. I was still trying to process everything. Tsugumi Ohba… where had I heard that name before?

OH!

Death Note! The author of Death Note! The mysterious author who collects teacups and sits like L! The same author who nobody knows his true identity. That Tsugumi Ohba! No wonder Rae looked gob smacked, this was practically her hero!

I looked at my recently acquired friend with new clarity. He looked so normal, and yet… he wasn't. Surely an author who could come up with a plot involving a notebook that can kill people couldn't be normal, could he?

"Now, I would love to answer all of the questions you must surely have, but time is running out. So I am afraid they will have to wait for a while." Ky-, sorry Ohba said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Rae was still awe struck. I doubt a missile whizzing through the window right now would snap her out of it.

Ohba gestured to my feet with his chin, sliding his hands into his pocket. "See for yourself."

I looked down at my feet with a growing sense of foreboding, and gasped. They were disintegrating!

I repeat they were DISINTEGRATING!

My white and purple baseball shoes were disappearing into the air, floating like sand on the breeze. But it wasn't just my feet. I glance down at my hands and choked on a scream. The tips of my fingers were slowly slipping from existence, snaking down my palms and wrists.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!" Rae screamed.

The same was happening to her. I would have screamed too, but my throat was dry with fear, so all that came out was a strangled cry. Ohba remained stood with his hands in his pockets, calmly observing the situation.

"Do not worry, the transaction is painless and fairly quick." He said.

I didn't even register the sound of his voice. I was too busy freaking out. You can call me a wimp but I doubt your body has ever disappeared like this, so shove it.

"Oh my god, this can't be happening, can't be happening…" Rae whimpered.

The last thing I remember is Ohba pulling out an old fashioned stop watch and flipping it open.

"Use your time wisely, you only have a limited amount of it."

Then everything went blank.

* * *

><p>"Stripes, <em>Stripes! <em>Wake up!"

I groaned, and opened my eyes. I stopped breathing. We were in an alleyway, far from the manga shop in a part of Tokyo I had never seen before.

Oh and everything was anime style.

Wait **_WHAT_**!

* * *

><p><strong>Stripes was inspired by a pair of rather fetching stripy socks I bought a while back. I fell in love with them and thought; <strong>

'**huh, what if there was a character who was clumsy, forgetful and only wore stripy tights?"**

**And so she was born.**

**Thanks for reading! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello…?**

***Approaches cautiously, holding a frying pan up in defence***

**I know, I'm a terrible author for not updating sooner. But I did warn you. Anyway this chapter is **_**very **_**short compared to my first, but bear with me!**

***Bows apology***

**Enjoy. ^_^**

* * *

><p>I did a double take.<p>

Than a triple.

And quadruple.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, pinched my arm, and tried every trick in the book I could think of. But nothing changed. I was still surrounded by tall skyscrapers, _animated _skyscrapers. I was still sat in an alleyway, an _animated _alleyway. And I was still wearing the necklace Ohba had given to me. Oh and guess what? It was animated too, _big_ shocker there.

"Rae, please tell me when I look at you, I will _not _see an anime you." I whispered.

I heard her shift uncomfortably.

"Can't guarantee nothing." She replied.

Slowly, I turned to look at her. My mouth dropped to the floor.

It was Rae. Same old teasing, competitive, slightly childish Rae… only a little bit different. Okay, that was a lie. She was _really _different. She was anime style, sleek and slender. Her clothes were anime, her face was anime, and her hair was woven with red. _Defiantly_ anime.

But even an anime Rae isn't as strange as what I am about to describe. Atop Rae's head were two, scarlet cat ears. _REAL _neko ears. They twitched and moved, fluttered and pricked. They seemed to have a mind of their own. I swallowed.

"Er Rae…"

She whirled around, and gasped. Her now dramatically large, brown eyes widened further, and her… *ahem* ears flattened against her head.

"Stripes… you… your… ears." She spluttered.

But I could understand her well enough. I spotted a broken mirror in a bin. I leapt up, and dragged Rae with me toward the shiny surface. I pulled it out, wiped the dirt from it, and then set it in front of us. Now it was my turn to gasp.

It was me, only now _I _was anime too. Anime black and purple tights, anime denim shorts, anime t-shirt, and anime jacket. Not to mention anime black hair, with bits of purple thrown in. And hey, what the heck? Let's give the girl purple neko ears too.

That's right. I had neko ears, what else is new?

"Stripes, do you think Ohba put something in that tea?" Rae asked, gingerly touching her ears.

I did the same, they felt really soft. "That would explain _a lot _of things, or maybe this is a dream." I answered.

Rae blinked. "Huh, it could be. Let's test it."

She punched me in the arm, hard.

"OW, what the hell did you do that for!" I yelled.

Rae sighed, not bothering to apologise. She slid to the floor, pulling her legs to her chest.

"It's not a dream then." She murmured.

I glared at her, before sliding down onto my butt to join her.

As you can probably imagine my mood was not the best. My body had just disintegrated moments ago, I'd woken up in a strange _animated _alleyway, then I'd found out my head had sprouted neko ears, and then my so called best mate had punched me in the arm. No, surprisingly I did _not _feel the need to break out in song and dance.

"Should we go have a look around?" Rae asked.

I threw her a glance, raising my eyebrow. "Like this?" I gestured to my ears. "Yeah great plan Rae, we'd probably be thrown in the first science lab available for god's sake!"

Rae narrowed her eyes. "There's no need to bite my head off!" she shot back.

I snorted, rubbing my sore arm. "And there _was _a need to punch me in the arm? I'm in agony here!" I grumbled.

It was a bit overdramatic I admit, but it still hurt. It's not like I'm a wimp or anything (well, not much) but Rae has one hell of a left hook.

I sighed, letting my head swing back to study the sky. _At least it's a nice day_; I thought, and then resisted the urge to slap myself. _Yeah, way to focus on the important stuff Stripes. You're sucked into an animated world and all you're concerned with is the damn __**weather**__!_ I can be a real idiot sometimes.

We both sat in silence for a while, wrapped up in our own thoughts. It was getting a little unbearable, so it came as a relief when Rae decided to break it.

"So, what now?" she asked.

I rubbed my ankles together, contemplating. "Well since we can't go anywhere like this." I gestured to my ears. "There isn't much we can do. Unless…" I trailed off.

There was something in the sky, a black dot. I squinted against the sunlight, straining my vision. It was getting bigger, steadily growing by the second. I craned my neck, trying desperately to make the shape out. I was so focused on it, that I failed to notice it was heading straight for me. Until it was too late.

It hit me square in the face with a smack, sending a ripple of pain through my body.

"OW!" I yelled.

"Stripes! Are you okay?" Rae asked, bending over me.

I shoved the offending object off my stomach, rubbing my sore head. It seemed _everything _was out to get me today.

"Where the hell did that come from?" I asked, angrily.

Upon closer inspection I realized the thing was a backpack, and that I recognized it. It was _my _backpack. The only difference I could detect (not counting the fact that it was animated) was the note pinned to it.

Rae pulled it from the yellow material, reading it with quick precision. "It's from Ohba-sama." She said, handing me the note. I all but snatched it from her hand, pulling it as close to my face as possible. The handwriting was black and spidery, stretching like spider web across the page.

_Hello Stripes, Rae._

_I hope your journey was successful. I shall take this opportunity to explain a few things. First, for now I cannot communicate with you, but hopefully that should change in a few minutes. So I leave you to explore a bit. Oh and as for the ear situation, a solution should find its way to you in a moment. I apologise for that, it was a slight miscalculation on my part._

_From Ohba_

"A _slight _miscalculation?" I exclaimed.

Just as the words left my mouth, two fishing hats fluttered from the sky. One was purple, the other red. They landed at our feet, making no sound whatsoever. There was a note pinned to the red one.

_The solution._

There was a moment of pure silence, as Rae and I both stared down at the hats. Then, very slowly, Rae bent down to pick up the red one. She studied it in her hands for a full minute, and then took a deep breath.

"HOW THE HELL IS _THIS _A SOLUTION!" she exploded.

I took a step back, eyes widening in surprise. Rae was scary when she was angry, _really _scary.

"I SWEAR OBHA-SAMA THAT IF I EVER GET A HOLD OF YOU, I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS. YOU SMART ASS!"

She stopped, panting hard. Her hair was tousled slightly, stray strands falling into her face. I sweat dropped, actually sweat dropped! Looks like there's a few perks to this situation after all.

"Feel better?" I asked.

Rae grinned, pulling the hat over her ears. "Much, yelling does wonders for my mood."

I picked up the other hat, dusted it off, and then also pulled it on. I stretched my arms, closing my eyes. "Well at least we can go see where we are now." I said.

Rae's eyes glinted with intent, which could only mean trouble. A slow smile spread over her lips, flashing white teeth.

"Know what I just realized Stripes?"

I shook my head, feeling my skin pale. Whenever Rae looked like this, it meant trouble.

She laughed mechanically, flinging her arm out to point at the entrance to the alleyway.

"We're _in _an anime!" She shouted.

News flash of the century, I already knew that. I coughed. "Er Rae, I kind of already sussed that one out." I said.

Rae continued to laugh, putting her hands on her hips. I would have given her an Oscar right then and there for the best villain. But funnily enough, my supply runs low on Oscars.

"Don't you get it Stripes? This is an _anime. _We can do it all. Vein popping, sweat dropping, we could even swing hammers at each other and turn out alright! This is every otaku's _dream _Stripes!" she announced.

I froze. She was right. This _was _a dream come true. How many times had I thought about this, how many times had I _wished _for this? I had literally been handed everything I had hoped for on a silver platter, and I was _complaining? _

I smiled eagerly. "You know what? You might actually be right for once."

Rae gave me a sly smile, still in character. All she needed was a moustache and white cat now. "But of course dear Stripes, I am _always _right."

I grinned for the first since we'd landed ourselves in this whole mess. "What are we waiting for then?"

Rae laughed, linking arms with me. "Let's go whiskers."

And then, about as gracefully as two hippos wearing skates, we bounded out of the alleyway.

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><p><strong>Like I said, shortest chapter ever. -_-<strong>

**Arigatō ****Hawkbelly FreaxGeax Moka-girl PlasmaDragon007 and shinigamiConnections.**

**You guys rock! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three, jump with glee. **

**I'm here, after a lifetime. But now that it's the holidays I should be able to update quicker, if I can think of randomness for Stripes and Rae fast enough that is. But its here now, and I admit I was smiling while I wrote this. So please, enjoy. ^_^**

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><p>Remember what Rae said?<p>

"_This is every otakus dream Stripes!"_

I do.

Funny thing is our 'Otaku dream' hadn't turned out so fine and dandy. In fact, it had been a complete disaster.

After leaving the grey confinements of the alleyway, Rae and I had gone exploring. At first we'd had a whale of a time, discovering little tricks only anime characters could get away with, and testing our new found abilities to the limits. Much to our surprise, our newly acquired ears were not just for show. Our sense of hearing had been heightened to a feline level, allowing us to hear from long distances. It was annoying at first, since normal, everyday sounds hurt our eardrums, but after a while we got used to it.

We'd roamed about a bit as well, up and down the busy streets, through the elegant little parks, and shopping centres. Thankfully my English to Japanese dictionary had still been in my back pack, alongside my Ichigo plushie, purse and various other items. Using that we had asked a kind old lady of our whereabouts, and after receiving a raised eyebrow and confused expression, we had discovered we were still in the Kanto region of Tokyo.

From there it had all gone down hill.

First the heavens opened, pelting us with buckets of rain. Then, (after sitting for two full hours in a café without buying anything other than one cup of tea between us) we were kicked out onto the streets. And so, soaked and cold, we had selected a spot on the street under an awning, and sat. The night had surrounded us with thick, spidery hands of darkness. It was suffocating, as was the silence. So I decided to break it.

"Some dream come true." I grumbled, sending a sideways glare at Rae.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Could be worse." She muttered.

I threw my hands up into the air, getting to my feet. "How could this possibly get any worse?"

As if in answer to my question, a lorry chose that precise moment to zip past us, effectively drenching us in dirty puddle water. Silence settled over us like dust. Rae gave me a look that clearly said 'I told you so'. I simply sat down again, and decided to keep my mouth shut. Opening it only seemed to make things worse.

"Wonder what Ohba-sama is doing." Rae pondered aloud.

I pulled his note from my pocket, and read through it for what had to be the sixtieth time. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. How any of this could possibly be real. It just didn't happen in everyday life. Sure, in anime and books I could understand. But in reality, in the cold, harsh reality of our world, things like this just didn't happen.

"Damn!" Rae gasped, standing up suddenly.

I jolted, holding my hands up in a defensive position. I was arguably jumpy. "What?" I asked, wearily.

Rae looked down at me, a look of sheer panic creasing her features. "The tournament." She whispered.

I blinked. "What about it?"

Rae rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What about it! I'll tell you what about it, it's tomorrow Stripes, and guess where we are," she gestured around. "A freaking animated world! How are we supposed to compete?"

…Oh.

_Oh! _

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. We were going to miss it, the match. We were going to miss the freaking match! We couldn't! Don't get me wrong the other team members aren't exactly useless, in fact they probably still had a fair chance at winning. But still, Rae and I were the most experienced, had trained the most. And remember that little competitive flaw I mentioned? Well, that was kicking in now. We had _wanted _to win the finals, heck we _needed _to the win the finals. But now… I wasn't sure just how we were going to do that.

"There must be something we can do, to get back." I said, voicing my thoughts.

Rae whirled around widely, looking uselessly from side to side. She couldn't sit still in a situation like this. Scratch that, Rae could sit still in _any_ situation.

"Maybe we should go back to the alleyway, or, or ask someone. Yeah we could ask someone!" she exclaimed, taking a step forward.

I caught her sleeve in my fingers, an eyebrow raised. "And say what exactly? I'd like a one way ticket back to a world that isn't 2D? Great idea." I snorted.

She glared at me. "Well we have to do something! And if you haven't noticed smartass everything around us is _3D, _just animated 3D." she replied, indigently.

"Oh whatever, we have to…" I stopped.

"Stripes, hey what are you… staring at?" Rae asked nervously.

I didn't answer her, instead I kept staring. There was a light inside Rae's top, a little red light. And there was something else too. It was talking.

"Stripes, would you stop perving at my chest and answer me? You're freaking me out!"

I opened my mouth, and closed it again. It was impossible, I told myself. But it was there, whispering away. A little voice.

_Connecting, connecting, connecting, connecting, connecting…_

"Stripes!" Rae shouted.

"Shut up," I hissed, putting my hand over Rae's mouth. "Listen."

_Connecting, connecting, connecting, connecting, connecting…_

"Rae I think your chest is talking." I squeaked.

"Muh-impofible." She mumbled into my hand.

"But I really think…" I was cut off.

_Connected._

"_Stripes-san, Rae-san, it seems we are finally able to communicate."_ Said a voice, sounding unmistakably like Ohba.

Rae and I were both silent.

"_Is the line functioning properly, or are you unable to hear me?"_ he asked, pleasantly.

I looked at Rae. She looked at me. We both looked at her chest. How much weirder can you make that sound?

"… Ohba-sama, why is your voice coming out of my chest?" Rae asked.

"_Ah good so you can hear me, I thought perhaps the line hadn't connected properly. And technically my voice is emanating from the pendent I gave you, not your actually, ahem, chest."_ Ohba answered.

I wet my lips. "Ohba-san that _is_ you, right?" I asked.

"_It is Stripes-san, I am, if you would wish it, going to explain your situation. You undoubtedly have questions to ask me."_

That was it, that was the single sentence I needed to crank my brain into overdrive. A thousand and one questions immediately flooded my head, taking up all of the space between my ears. That one sentence however, also brought back my original anger directed towards my legendary-manga-creator-friend. I think it had the same affect on Rae too. The evidence I needed for such an assumption, was simply Rae's reaction.

Her hands curled into fists, and a smile, a sickly smile spread across her lips. "You're gonna explain a few things huh? Well why don't you start with, _what the flying flododdle are we doing in an _ANIME?"

Flododdle… that's a new one.

"_There is no need to shout Rae-san, I can hear you well enough. And besides, if I recall you were rather excited about being in an anime, were you not?"_

Rae's cheeks flushed scarlet, a look of pure anger (and a hint of embarrassment) on her face. I was all ready to jump back out of her firing line then, to jump ship in a manner of speaking. I'd seen Rae like this before, and had the scars to prove it. But just before she flipped, a thought hit me. I spoke up before Rae had a chance to shout abuse.

"Wait, does that mean you can see us?"

I heard chuckling at the other end of the line. _"Very perceptive Stripes-san, you were quicker at deducing that then I first thought you would be."_

I frowned. Was it me, or did he just imply I was thick?

"_But I can see you, or rather just Rae-san at the moment. I can communicate with you through Rae-san's pendent, but I can see you through Stripe-san's pendent."_

I lifted the L shaped necklace, bringing it close to my face to inspect it.

"_Kon'nichiwa, Stripes-san."_

I dropped it as though a snake had bit me. Rae, who had recovered from her little fit, waved a hand in front of it.

"So you can actually see us?"

"_That is correct."_

"Cool." She smiled. I frowned at her, she scowled at me. "What?" she asked.

"Cool?"

She shrugged. "It may be messed up but you can't deny it isn't cool Stripes." She said.

I sighed.

"_If you're quite finished, then I can explain your situation. Please, take a seat." _Ohba said.

We both complied, having calmed down a degree or two. I was having a lot of mood swings lately. Whereas before I had been all worked up, now I just felt… numb. Like I was wrapped in bubble wrap, not really seeing or feeling the world, just going along with it. After all, things couldn't get any weirder.

I lifted the pendent so Ohba could see us both, and then crossed my legs over. Might as well get comfy. Well… as comfy as you can get on a concrete floor.

"_Now, as both of you have probably worked out, you are currently in an animated world. A world not far off from our own, bu…" _he stopped.

Rae had raised her hand.

"_Yes, Rae-san?" _Ohba asked.

"Is this a real world then?" she asked, like a small child at carpet time.

"_That is a difficult question, but I shall try to answer it. There is something called 'The Web' in existence, a chain of worlds. Now amongst these there are main worlds and secondary worlds, sort of like branches. Your…" _he stopped again.

I had raised my hand.

"_Yes, Stripes-san?"_

"Shouldn't it be called, 'The Tree' then?" I asked.

Rae shook her head. "The Web sounds better." She said.

"But technically it isn't correct." I pointed out.

"But what sounds more menacing?" she put on a thick, creepy voice. "The web," and then switched the high pitched squeal. "Or the tree?"

"_Since the name is irrelevant may I continue?" _Ohba asked.

We both hung our heads and nodded.

_Thank you, now where was I. Oh right. Your world is one of the seven main worlds._ _Whereas the world you are currently in, is a secondary world." _Ohba paused, giving us time to digest that.

"_Now the main worlds feed off the secondary worlds, using them as fuel. This keeps everything in balance. There are jobs appointed to certain individuals to connect the main worlds to smaller worlds, to be fuel attendants. Connecting the worlds can be done in any form, say by using a manga, or a soap opera. You could even use… _he stopped.

We had both raised our hands.

Ohba sighed.

"_Yes, Stripes-san?"_

"Are you one of these certain individuals?"

"_That is correct. Now Rae-san."_

"Then why our we here, I mean that 'Web' of yours is interesting and all but it doesn't explain why we're here."

"… _I was getting to that. Before I carry on are there anymore questions?"_

Rae and I grinned, glancing at each other. "No sensei!" we chimed.

"_Good. I sent you two over there because this is one of the secondary worlds I manage, however something is wrong with it. The main story I created in this world keeps repeating, meaning something went wrong in the plot. This means no new energy is being produced, to feed _your_ world. I want you to fix that."_

I raised an eyebrow. "And just how are we going to do that?" I asked.

"_You're going to change the storyline."_

Rae blinked. "How?"

"_With knowledge. You already know how the story turns out, so use your knowledge to change it as you see fit. I'm hoping by some miracle you'll find the right point and change it. If you don't, I'll simply find someone else to attempt it."_

I put my hands up. "Wait, wait, if we know the storyline, does that mean…?" I trailed off.

"_Yes it does Stripes-san, you are in death note."_

Rae went as rigid as a plank of wood. Her eyes glazed over, her mouth hit the floor. A little, ghostly angel Rae floated from her head. I could honestly say then, in the great words of the king of rock, Rae had left the building.

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><p><strong>Great news, I got a new pair of stripy tights! I only had socks last time, but my supply is growing! Go buy a pair, they make you feel like your walking on air, no joke! <strong>

**I wanna know how many of you actually have something stripy. If you do, or plan on buying something stripy, let me know!**

**Arigato to shinigamiConnections monsterousmaiden646 Moka-girl ImmaGummyBear and wingfire24. You guys rock!**


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